Fighters of Kniana
by Super Smasher
Summary: *Etrian Odyssey II* The Carl Becker Process: A thousand small facts combine to make one concrete one. This is the legend of those whose stories have been left untold. Rated T for Alcohol, Language, Suggestive Themes, and Violence.
1. Infiltration

**Fighters of Kniana**

**An Etrian Odyssey II Fanfic**

**by Super Smasher**

**Disclaimer: You know what goes here. Don't own anything.**

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It was a fierce wind, blowing off the ocean and through the blond hair of a young woman as she crouched, covered by the wall of wooden crates. A guard passed, casually taking a look around. She waited, until the light from his torch had vanished before making her move. Scrambling across the stone foundation, the girl flung herself noiselessly behind a pile of sandbags as another guard made a round of inspection. She chanced a peek over the stack, her hard blue eyes staring at the distinct shape of a ship in the moonlight. She was waiting for the signal.

Quickly, she checked her gun. The weapon was full of ammunition, not a shell out of place. The girl sighed in relief as she readjusted her dress, feeling the tweed vest underneath. It may have been uncomfortable at first, but it marked her class as a Gunner. Peering over the sandbags again, she looked again at the ship. Where was he? He should have been done ages ago...

Flash.

Almost too faint to make out, the Gunner noticed a glint of steel reflecting the waning moon. It flashed at her position again, then once more, a total of three times. She knew the time had come.

Keeping her head low, the young woman scuttled along the dock, nearly in the water, her blue clothes helping her blend in with the ocean behind her. As she drew nearer to the ship, she slowed, scrutinizing her surroundings. After making sure the coast was clear, she darted for the ship's gangplank, shimmying up it with only a few thuds of her leather-booted feet. Once on the _Agincourt_'s deck, she gazed around for a moment, and once no danger could be ascertained, slumped down along the railing, breathing heavily but silently.

Suddenly, she was aware of a shadow sweeping across the deck. She quickly turned her head, seeking its origin and saw a dark figure striding towards her. Instinctively, she reached for her gun and pointed it at the figure's head.

"Hey, easy there, Catelyn. It's me."

Relief flooded through her body as she recognized Derek's figure moving towards her, his plate mail slightly clanking in the night.

"Don't scare a girl like that!" Catelyn whined as her brother took a seat next to her on the deck. "Can't you do something about that armor? The reflection was useful for the signal, but it can just as easily give us away."

Derek laughed quietly, his identical blue eyes filled with mirth. The moon emerged from behind a cloud and highlighted his orange-tinted mop of hair. "It's so I can defend you. That's a Protector's job."

"I guess..."

Derek smiled again, looking at his older sister as she set her gun down beside her and stared at the crescent hanging in the sky. He fingered his dagger, feeling the hilt of the small weapon in his belt. He leaned over, nudging Catelyn. "We better head down. I cleared a space for us in the cargo hold. I looked, though. There are so many adventurers on this ship, they're never going to notice us."

The girl stood up, leaning over the railing and looking back at the shore, at their island. "I can't believe we're really going. I'm going to miss Kniana so much..." She sniffled a bit, telling herself not to become emotional.

"I know." Derek said, still sitting. "So many memories. Mom, Dad, Andrew, Kyle, Jenn. I wish we could take them all with us."

"I don't know how many times I've wanted the same thing." Catelyn muttered, gazing absentmindedly at the Lighthouse. Cover was no longer needed, in the dark and from this distance, even a keen-eyed guard would find it nearly impossible to notice the tiny figures on the boat's stern.

"Hey, sis." Derek asked after a couple seconds of silence had passed. "What do you think we should do once we get to Lagaard?"

Catelyn thought for a minute before replying. "Well, we head for Central City, of course."

"I meant once we get there."

"Oh."

Another silence.

"Well, we'll see if any guilds are recruiting. If worst comes to worst, we'll make our own."

"Ah. I suppose you'll be leading, then?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

"I could never. Become the ruler of the free world perhaps, but not the leader of a guild."

The girl could not help but let out a small giggle at her little brother's dream. With his Chemistry talent, he could have easily been a Medic, but his sense of justice would just get in his way of helping his sister. For some reason, even though Catelyn repeatedly said he should be a War Magus, Derek still refused.

"Say, do you ever think about fate?"

Derek looked up at Catelyn, thrown off guard by the sudden query. "You mean like destiny? Why do you ask?"

"It's just...nah, you'll laugh." the Gunner replied, turning around and jumping slightly to rest in a sitting position on the railing.

"I promise."

"Fine. It's just that when I look at the stars and I see the constellations, I get an incredible feeling of minuteness. Like no matter what I do, I won't accomplish anything noteworthy in the end. Just another of the thousands of facts compiled into one statement. 'Many explorers flocked to try their hand at the Yggdrasil Labyrinth.' They won't recognize us. Just whoever conquers it. Not the little people who helped them out to get there."

Derek sat stunned. "That's...deep."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm glad." she began to swing her legs back and forth as she sat. "I don't want anyone to judge me for something like that."

"I'll protect you."

She looked down at him. "Thanks, little bro."

Derek stared at the sky for a couple seconds longer, drinking in what his sibling had just imparted. Then he stood up, moving his head from side to side to get a crick out of his neck. "We better get downstairs. We leave at dawn."

Catelyn nodded, and hopped down from her position. Unknowingly, she struck her gun with her foot, sending it flying across the deck and towards the other side of the boat. She let out a small squeak as she saw the firearm appear on the edge of the ship, teeter widly, then slowly, as if suspended in water, tip over and fall into the sea. Dropping to her knees. She let out a wail.

"That...my...no...nonononono..."

Derek sighed. Those weeks of her scrimping had gone to waste after all. Unclipping his extra dagger from his belt, he handed it to her. "Must be fate at work."

She looked back at him with angry, watery eyes for a second before resignedly accepting the knife.

* * *

"Here."

Derek slid open a small door to reveal the ship's cargo bay. Catelyn took one step inside and instantly wished she'd worn pants instead of just leggings. The hold was FREEZING. Stumbling in the darkness, she tripped on a munitions barrel and took a tumble onto something soft and warm. Feeling around, she gasped in realization of what she'd landed on.

"Derek! I found a blanket!"

The young Protector sauntered over, he had waited for his eyes to adjust to the dim conditions before proceeding. He nodded as Catelyn scrambled under it, and, situating herself in the center, beckoned for him to lay down. "This thing is huge!"

The boy sighed. He turned around and groped for a clasp on his back. With a muffled clang, his armor clattered to the ground. Stretching, Derek adjusted his grey underclothes and crawled under the proffered piece of cloth and closed his eyes. He was almost at the edge of the blanket. After a while, he heard her breathing slow, and he tugged for more blanket. He was surprised when the cloth refused to budge. Thinking naught of it, he rolled over on his side as sleep overtook him.

On Catelyn's other side, a pair of red eyes groggily opened, blinked, then closed as their owner reclaimed slumber.


	2. Encounter

**Fighters of Kniana**

**An Etrian Odyssey II Fanfic**

**by Super Smasher**

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It was morning. You couldn't tell just by looking at the pitch-black hold, but Catelyn knew that the new day had arrived without even opening her eyes. This was not just because the rocking of the ship insinuated that they had left shore, but also because of the heavy treads of feet on the floor above resounded around the cargo bay.

She felt pressure on her upper torso, like someone's head was resting on her chest. She remembered that she'd invited Derek to sleep with her that night. She called softly to him, still tired from the night before.

"Derek. You're nuzzling my breasts."

"No, I'm not." an equally exhausted voice called from her other side. "Not like there's much there to nuzzle anyways."

Catelyn mentally pouted, making a note to smack her lying little brother once she gained the energy. But Derek's voice had come from behind her, right? Then that could only mean that whoever was touching her...

"Waaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiyaaaaah!"

She let out a shriek like a banshee and flung herself away from the object, ramming into Derek and sending both of them into the pile of armor the Protector had removed last night. When the inital shock passed, Catelyn, face red with embarassment, quickly stood up, marched over to the blanket, and with the force of an enraged girl, flung it halfway across the room and into a crumpled heap on the other wall. She watched it fall to the ground before looking down at whatever had been touching her.

A boy lay there, about the same age as her. His dark blue-grey hair sprouted with bedhead, his black shirt expanding and contracting as he slept, accompanying his brown trousers. Derek crawled out of the pile of armor to join his older sister and let out an exclamation as he recognized the man laying on the floor.

"Kyle?!"

* * *

"So why are you here?" Catelyn asked vehemently, still angry at what had transpired.

"The same reason as everyone else on this bucket. Going to Lagaard to challenge Yggdrasil and find the castle." Kyle explained, smiling. "I expect that's why you two stowaways are here?"

"That's correct." Derek assented. His friend sat on the ground while Catelyn towered over him. It was as if they were in a police investigation.

"Hey, Derek. This isn't about us!" The girl fumed, pointing at the boy on the ground. "Why did you even think about sleeping under the same blanket as me?!"

"Truth be told, I was about to ask you the same thing." Kyle said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I've been on board since yesterday, they gave me this compartment. I suppose you two must have stumbled in here and expected it to be empty and crawled into MY bed."

Catelyn whirled around to stare down her little brother. He shrunk back under her fierce glare. "I thought you said you cleared us a space."

"I did." Derek agreed. "It was over there." he pointed at the other end of the room. "But you decided to just sleep here instead."

The girl sat down on the barrel she had tripped over last night and stared hard at Kyle. "Alright. I guess I can forgive you for sleeping here. But for touching me, you'll have to do something big for us."

Kyle gulped. "Um...as long as I don't have to do any math homework. I'm horrible at that."

Catelyn smiled, both evilly and sympathetically. She had known this boy for years, and while his humor never seemed to run dry, she knew schooling was not his forte. However, she had other plans.

"I want you to join us. In exploring, I mean."

Kyle looked up at her. She was trying her best to still seem intimidating, but he could tell she was waiting for him to speak. He sighed.

"I guess I have no choice."

* * *

Derek was the last person up the stairs and through the hatch. The sunlight was bright, he had to shield his eyes to keep from being blinded after being in that dark, damp hold. After a few seconds, he was able to open his eyes and look around. A cool breeze ruffled his hair, rippling across the sails of the _Agincourt _as it journeyed towards the land of Lagaard. All around them, the sea stretched until it met the horizon, where they met the light blue sky and puffy cumulus clouds. He took a deep breath, inhaling the salty air.

"Too crowded, if you ask me."

Derek looked back at his two companions. Kyle hadn't donned his armor, but the Landsknect's Axe hung at his waist, telling all to passerby who may have looked at the tweed-covered boy. The boy intertwined his fingers and gave them a crack as he looked around the deck. Aside from the normal sailors, most of the people on deck were adventurers from the Western Isles. Troubadours sang their songs as mock battles waged on the deck. A few Medics were hard at work healing those who didn't win, and some who had. Alchemists practiced their magic off the starboard bow, and Survivalists were hosting mast-climbing races.

"All here for the same thing." Catelyn commented, feeling the dagger that Derek had given her with resent, wishing that she'd taken more care with her former weapon. "I'm going to go find somewhere to sit down." Derek and Kyle let her go.

Approaching the stern, the Gunner rested her elbows along the railing, gazing out at the endless expanse of water. She twisted the weapon in her hand, turning it. She had a feeling of dread as she imagined going up against a monster with this puny child's toy. Finally settling on the idea that mourning the loss of her gun would do her more harm than good, she turned around to walk away...and smashed right into a man who had been standing behind her. Catelyn fell to the ground, the dagger clattering along the wooded planks. She landed roughly on her backside, paralyzed for a second by the impact.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

She rubbed her lower back and looked up at the man she had just hit. The first thing she noticed was his death-pale skin, followed by his patch of icy blue hair and like-colored eyes. His leather clothes radiated of...kinkiness, she thought, and a long, red whip dangled from his belt. She registered this man as being one of the people she had heard of as Dark Hunters.

"I'm sorry," Catelyn murmured, trying to get up so she could apologize correctly to this stranger.

"What was that?" the man asked, shoving her hard in the chest, causing her to stumble backwards.

Derek bustled over, brimming with rage. "Hey! Leave her alone!" The man lifted his foot up and used it to kick/shove the Protector in the chest, causing him to topple over onto the deck. He crashed to the ground, his heavy armor clanging as he attempted to stand up, he looked rather like a turtle to the onlookers who were attracted by the noise.

"Stay out of this." The man sneered, looking back at Catelyn. she had backed up until she reached the railing of the ship, fear plastered across her face. "Now that I look at you, you're kind of cute." The Dark Hunter proclaimed. Grabbing his whip from his side, he expertly swung it, wrapping tightly around the Gunner's forearm. "To make it up to me, how about you and I have some fun, huh?"

Catelyn's eyes widened as the man began to pull her closer to him. No matter how she struggled, she couldn't escape from this guy's clutches. He reeled her in, like a fisherman netting his catch. She was only inches from him when a blur of steel flashed before her eyes. The rope around her arm loosened, and she went flying backwards yet again, landing on her rear again, this time grabbing her dagger from the deck before looking up.

Kyle stood over her, his axe in hand, as the Dark Hunter looked at the piece of his whip that remained in his hand.

"Why don't you try me? I'm sure we can have a lot more fun than you ever would have had with her." Kyle smiled, brandishing his weapon.

"Dammit," the man cursed. "You ruined my best whip!" Producing another from behind his back, he snapped it. Any people on deck who hadn't been drawn by Derek were now looking at the spectacle. "You're going to pay for that with blood you wimpy little Landsknecht."

Kyle looked over at Derek, who had managed to right himself and was sitting on the deck. "Throw me your gauntlets." Derek acquiesced, shucking off the wrist protectors and flung them to his comrade, who swiftly fitted them on his arms. "Think you can take me with that piece of rope? Come on, then. I'll let you take the first shot."

The Dark Hunter snorted. A second of loathe passed between the two before his arm rose, the lethal weapon lashing out. Kyle quickly raised his arm, the whip bouncing harmlessly off the protector. He charged, axe flashing as he aimed for the man's head with the unsharpened back end of the head. The icy-haired man quickly sidestepped out of the way and jabbed the blunt end of the whip into Kyle's back. At that moment, Kyle whirled around, attempting to get him with the axe, but only nicked the man's arm, opening a very slight gash.

Aware that he was loosing his balance, Kyle quickly tucked his shoulder and went into a dive roll, springing back up to his feet on the Hunter's other side, amidst applause and cheering from the crowd now circling around the four of them.

"Very nice." The hunter complimented, holding his arm for a second before lashing out again with the whip. This one snapped Kyle across the leg, jerking the limb out from underneath him and sent him crashing to the deck. Before the rope had a chance to return to it's owner, the Landsknect grabbed it, and with a swift tug, sent the man to the ground beside him before smashing him in the back with the thick end of the axe. He prepared for another strike, but the Dark Hunter rolled away, jerking the whip away from him and standing up. The two faced off again. By this time, even the sailors on duty had abandoned their posts to watch.

Derek sidled over to his sister, checking her arm. "You okay?"

Catelyn nodded. "I'm fine." she said. She then looked back at the fight regretfully. Kyle was now embroiled in a fight because of her own recklessness, but she knew better than to intervene. This was a fight between men, and the one thing men valued over anything else was pride.

The Dark Hunter lashed out again, this time catching Kyle completely off guard. The rope coiled around his axe's handle, and with one smooth jerk, sent it flying over the side of the boat, and into the waves. Kyle watched helplessly as his weapon was swallowed up by the water.

"Looks like it's time to wrap things up." The man smiled, snapping Kyle with the rope again and again. Kyle made no move to react, letting the stinging lash belt him again and again. The crowd jeered, angry that he'd given up so soon. Catelyn and Derek watched in horror as he took beating after beating. "Had enough?" The man asked. "Then here's your final judgment!" The whip seemed to move in slow motion as it arced up into the air for what seemed like a hit with the power of the gods imbued.

Kyle's eyes sparkled, and his hand shot out, grabbing the rope in mid-flight. The onlookers gasped. The boy smiled as he used the rope to pull the Dark Hunter towards him, and used it also to catapult himself forward. Kyle then raised his arm laterally, clotheslining Ice-eyes and sending him down to the deck. He then snatched up the whip and tossed it overboard. He settled into a fighting stance as the Dark Hunter struggled back up. "What now? You expect you beat a Landsknect in a fistfight?"

"Damn." the man coughed, blood spattering on the wooden planks. "I won't forget this." He said, turning. The crowd parted as he made his way to the group of medics over yonder. "I am Scott of Guild Sever, and I'm not done with you yet!"

The rest of his speech was drowned as a colossal cheer went up from the spectators. They rushed in to congratulate the winner, but Catelyn got there first, grabbing him in a warm embrace. They stayed like that for a second before Catelyn drew back. She stared up at him for a second. Kyle smiled. Suddenly, pain exploded over his cheek as the full force of the Gunner's palm erupted on his face.

"I can fight my own battles, thank you very much. I never asked for your help." the girl then turned on her heel and walked away, but looked back to give him a small smile before the crowd closed in.

* * *

"That was amazing."

"I dunno. Guess I kinda got caught up in the moment. Adrenaline, you know?"

Kyle and Derek sat on the Poop Deck, watching the crew scurry about their work and the explorers resume training.

"I'm just saying, when your axe flew overboard, I thought you were done for."

"Tell me about it. I still have my backup dagger, but I didn't want to kill the guy."

"Noble."

"Yeah."

"...Catelyn was worried about you."

"Whatever. People don't smack you when they're worried for you."

"But she hugged you first, right?"

"Yeah."

A small silence passed.

"So what about your wounds?"

"Oh. Some cute Medic girl patched me up. You know, broke a bottle of Cure on my head, slathered some Salve on my palm.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah."

"I wish I could find a nice girl."

"Hah, if Catelyn wasn't your sister, I'd say you two were meant for each other, the way you get along so well."

"Yeah, but she's a terror to live with."

"How so?"

"Well, around the same time every month she starts to get really pissy. I don't know if she takes a lot of tests then or what. But she's really on the edge. Sometimes I swear she wants to kill anything that moves. I've gotten avoiding her down to an art, now."

"Jeez. That combined with a gun and you've got something fearsome. I wouldn't be surprised if the whole Labyrinth fled in terror from her!"

"Yeah!"

Their laughter pealed across the ship.

"What was that about me?"

The two boy's mirth was cut short as they heard the feminine voice behind them. They turned slowly around, eyes wide with fear. Catelyn stood there, dagger in hand. A dark aura was emanating from her body, and she brandished the weapon with the intent to kill.

"Uh, we were just joking, right Derek?" Kyle chuckled and turned to his friend, eyes widening with horror as he realized the Protector was already up and running, halfway to the Quarterdeck. "Ummmm...."

The chase was on.


	3. Many Meetings

**Fighters of Kniana**

**An Etrian Odyssey II Fanfic**

**by Super Smasher**

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**"Food's ready! Get it while it's still warm!"

All action on deck ceased as the head chef's voice rang out across the ship. As soon as the sound waves from his announcement ceased, a cheer went up from everyone on board, and a mass of sailors and explorers charged the foredeck, running for the set of stairs that took them down to the Galley.

* * *

Derek swirled his hardtack biscuit around in the bowl of chowder before raising it to his mouth and taking a titanic mouthful of the floury cake. Kyle, who was sitting across from him, had already devoured his biscuit and was now drinking the bowl of soup as if it were a glass of water. Catelyn, seated to the left of Derek, absentmindedly stirred her chowder with a spoon, hand on her cheek, lost in thought. Derek noticed this, and spoke up.

"Anything wrong, sis?"

Catelyn jerked out of her trance as her little brother's voice brought her back to her senses. She looked over at him, taking a second to contemplate what he had asked before answering.

"Nope. I'm fine." She then ate a few quick mouthfuls of the hot soup as if to prove her point, and then reverted back to staring off into space. Derek knew better than to press the subject, but Kyle, who was not so well versed in the Gunner's mentality, spoke up anyway.

"What?" he asked incredulously, setting down the now almost empty bowl. "I've read too many manga for that trick to work on me. There's something on your mind, and you expect us to know what it is, but we end up being too stupid to figure it out. If you've got a problem, tell us. We're going to be together for a long time, you know."

The girl looked up at him, a menacing expression on her face. "It's nothing." she declared, raising her glass of water to take a swig. Kyle just shrugged and set to work on the rest of his food.

"Do you all mind if I sit here?" a pleasant voice asked. Derek looked up to see a girl hovering over Kyle's shoulder, holding a tray of similar food.

"Not at all." Derek said, smiling.

"Thanks." she replied, setting her vittles down next to Kyle and taking the seat beside him and across from Catelyn.

"Hey," Kyle said, getting a closer look at the girl. "Aren't you the Medic who patched me up after that fight I had today?" Catelyn looked up at this, taking in the young woman for the first time. She seemed about Kyle's age, her hair- orange, like Derek's, slightly obscuring her bubbly, grey-green eyes. The Medic's robe she wore hung loosely over her small frame, her large bag of supplies clinking of glass on glass as she set it on the seat next to her.

"Aren't you the reckless Landsknecht I saw get into an argument with that Dark Hunter?" she asked, smiling happily as she tore into her biscuit with a voracious appetite befitting the most hardened Protector.

"Touche." Kyle laughed, emptying his glass of water. "Name's Kyle. The guy in the armor is Derek, and space-case Gunner in the blue over there is Catelyn."

"Katy." the Medic said, finishing her hardtack.

"Katy?" Derek checked. She nodded. "Is that short for something?" He looked over at his sister, who was now slowly munching some raisins.

"Yup. my birth name is Katherine, but everyone calls me Katy." she explained, chuckling a bit. "Anyways." she diverted her attention back to the Landsknecht beside her. "How's your hand?"

Kyle stopped eating his raisins to examine the palm he had used to grab Scott's whip near the end of the skirmish. A small red line circled around the base of his thumb where the rope had hit his hand, but the earlier pain had since subsided. "It's fine now. Why do you ask?"

She sighed in relief. "That's good. I always like to check up on my patients after I heal them. I'm not a certified Medic, yet, you know. I'm still in training. I heard that the hospital in Central City is one of the best in the world, and there would be a lot of patients there because of the Labyrinth. I thought it would be a good place to further my studies, since there's not a very large amount of the populace involved in medicine back in Evenda." She explained, revealing the location of her hometown. Derek recognized it as a small island not too far north of Kniana.

"You're from Evenda?" A medic there was strange, it had long since been the ancestral home of the Alchemists.

She nodded.

"Cool. We just got on, we're from Kniana."

"Oh, Kniana Gardens!" she gasped. "I was there once on vacation with my family. The flowers are so beautiful in the spring!" Katy went on, eyes sparkling with girlish remembrance.

Catelyn sighed. "Yeah, but it's horrible for those of use who hate bees." she rolled up her sleeve and showed the Medic her arm. It was covered in half-healed stings. "Got it stumbling into a nest near the Lighthouse."

Katy gasped at the sight, immediately diving into her bag. "Wait, I think I have some Salve for that..." she dug around furiously before bringing forth a vial filled with a purplish liquid. She uncorked it and spread it generously over Catelyn's arm. Within minutes, the marks had decreased in size so that they looked only like mosquito bites. The Gunner thanked her for the help, and returned to eating.

"Well, we're going to challenge the Labyrinth." Kyle announced. "Fame, Fortune, Glory. We'll get it all, you'll see." Catelyn stared sadly into her chowder at this remark.

"I wish you the best of luck." Katy smiled. She then looked at the three of them. "Wait. Is it just the three of you that are going?" Derek and Kyle both nodded. "I wouldn't just yet. Without someone specializing in Healing, you'll be pretty much goners. I suggest you find a Medic as soon as you can. That's my advice for you all."

Derek was a bit surprised. "So you wouldn't be interested?"

Katy smiled sadly. "I'd love to, but it would conflict with my education. My skills are my first priority. Maybe once I graduate, I'd be willing to help you all out."

Catelyn looked up again. "Won't that take like a year or something? Everything might be over by then."

"I suppose you're right."

At this point, Kyle grabbed his tray and stood up. "Welp, I'm done. Think I'm gonna take a walk and then saunter off to bed. Been a long day, what with the fight and all." The other three watched him leave.

"I'm just not into it tonight." Catelyn admitted, shoving what was left of her meal in front of Derek. "You can have the rest." She walked out the door and down the hallway, Derek's worried eyes following her.

* * *

"So she was the girl you were talking about."

Kyle turned around from the railing. Catelyn was leaning against the mainmast, arms crossed, looking at the starry night sky.

"You heard all that today?" Kyle asked, blushing slightly as he remembered the conversation he had with Derek earlier that night. "Yeah. She was."

"You were right."

"Huh?"

"She's cute."

"Yep."

"...Do you think I'm cute?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"Well, It's just that...you know."

"Jealous?"

"Huh?! Of what?!"

"Hahahahaha! Kidding, kidding."

"Boy, you better be kidding, or I'll make sure you never get a chance to see that Labyrinth."

"Okay, okay."

Kyle returned to staring at the waves, gently rolling along the sea. Catelyn walked up to the railing and stood beside him.

"You never answered my question."

"You never thanked me for saving you."

"I told you, I can fight my own battles."

"Didn't seem like it."

"..."

"..."

"...Thanks."

"It's what I do."

* * *

In the shadows of the Quarterdeck, Katy watched the two with stoic regret.

"I wish..."


End file.
